Waiting
by randomfics
Summary: Red has been living a nightmare of his own making for a long, long time.


If there was such a thing as living nightmares, then Red would be living one. It didn't seem like that at first. After all, he was one of the highly revered Smashers, inter-dimensional protectors of peace. Each of them had faced enemies that had seemed impossible to beat- except, Red had never really felt that. Oh, he had fought for the stability of the world… but he had never felt that rush. That will too fight for the sake of fighting.

He had felt it once- a fire in his veins. A wish to challenge the world. It was when he had first received Charmander. The tiny fire Pokémon had looked at him with a similar fire, tail blazing in its eagerness to be out among the world.

When had it changed? When had he lost that spark?

It was probably when he had beaten Green for the second time. It used too be that Green would beat him in everything. Grades, girls, Pokémon tactics- it suddenly changed, the entire world upended in the course of a few weeks. Suddenly he was the one gaining the attention, the looks, the stares, and it drowned him.

In less then a few months, Red found himself facing off an evil organization. Giovanni nearly rekindled that forgotten spark. His Charizard was excited, and he was beginning to become excited as well.

It dropped down too disappointment and weary acknowledgement when Giovanni was beaten. Charizard had purred happily at the victory, as Red silently stared at the 8th gym leader. It wasn't fun. The battle hadn't been exciting. It was almost exciting, but in the end, it was just short.

When exactly had this become not fun? Red almost considered leaving right there and then. It was only his Pokémon's excitement that kept him going. They wanted too continue fighting. Continue growing. Continue proving that they were truly the strongest.

They were his only friends, his faithful companions. So Red took them to the league, and did something he always regretted.

He stole the Championship from Green. The other boy had just challenged the Elite Four. Green had won. Green was the new Champion. He only had it for two minutes, before Red had appeared. Green was so excited, proud, and happy. He had beaten Red.

Charizard had growled, eyeing the Blastoise across from him. Then came the fight- and Red had completely, utterly, and totally crushed Green. Even Charizard had seemed surprised. Had seemed disappointed.

The memory of Green standing there, forlorn in the large room, tears just barely beginning to form haunted Red's dreams at times. To be Champion for only ten measly minutes before being destroyed by someone you always considered weaker…

Red wondered if there was some way of giving it back. If he could rewind time, and give Green a year, not just ten minutes. Maybe in a year, Red would be ready for the sorrow that came with it.

Green hadn't cried- he was too proud to cry, and Blastoise didn't seem to mind as it stared at Charizard. The Pokémon that had never lost a battle. The team that had never lost a battle. It was as if Blastoise pitied them. Pitied their strength. Red had pulled his hat down to cover his eyes, and tried to cover up his own sorrow. It didn't make sense to be sad over his own win. Green would punch him if he dared tried too console the other ten-year-old.

So, Red had let himself be crowned Champion. It was the worst job he could ever think of. People came to challenge him every day, even without the required badges. He fought them, beat them, and sank further into his slump. It was during one of these slumps that Blue had come to visit him actually.

She had taken one look at him and laughed. "Looks like you're bored. Why don't you go challenge someone strong?"

He had decided to take her at her word. Within a week, Red had resigned from being reigning Pokémon Champion, and had retreated into Mount Silver. It was a challenge, the best one he could come up with as someone who couldn't speak. It was a challenge to Green- _come and beat me._

Green never answered the Challenge. Red, who everyday tried to assure himself and Charizard that Geen would arrive, and they could finally have a fun fight, found himself loosing hope. Every time there were footfalls in his cavern, he would perk up. He would forget the bitter cold and snow, forget the dwindling food supplies- all would be focused on the mouth of the cavern to see if Green had finally arrived.

Every time he was disappointed. It was some other trainer, or perhaps Blue, with a package of food. However the sure, almost condescending footsteps of the one called the 'second-greatest trainer' never echoed in the emptiness.

Wild Pokémon would circle around him, testing for weaknesses. It only took a few licks of flame from Charizard too chase them off. Trainers, much like the wild Pokémon, would attempt to find any weaknesses. It only took a few attacks to convince them of the huge difference between abilities, and send most of them scurrying off with their tails between their legs, and Red a couple hundred Pokedollars richer.

Then came _him_. The one with a typhlosion. The one with the black hair and red hat settled on backwards. Red learned later that he had defeated all of the gym leaders in both regions. That he had defeated the same group that had attempted to rise from the ashes.

That his name was Gold, and he was the first person to beat him.

It took two tries, but Gold had come back, intrigued after the first defeat. Ready, and a little more on the ball, finally shaken out of a stupor that Red could recognize.

In a way, Red supposed that they both had taken away their dreams from each other.

Gold had been waiting for another called Silver to defeat him, and Red had been waiting for Green. It was only cruel, and yet horribly fair that they would instead be defeated by each other.

Charizard had been so angry then- angry that they had waited for so long, only to be defeated by someone who wasn't what they were waiting for. Charizard had left them, flying far beyond the range of the pokeball.

Red considered waiting, considered just letting it happen. But Charizard was his greatest companion, his most faithful friend, and he _couldn't_. So he had climbed off the mountain, left Blue all of his Pokémon, and took off into the night with a Squirtle and a picture of a Ivysaur that Green had been training before it had run off.

He wasn't sure what he was thinking.

Red was pretty sure that he wasn't thinking anything, when he went charging off with a borrowed Pokémon.

Either way, he had ended up chasing after Charizard, going through a dimensional rift and found himself in this new universe where Pokémon and humans could fight on equal footing. Red hadn't much cared. Another evil force aiming to destroy a dimension? Fine. He had faced similar organizations.

The blond-haired kid with the psychic powers convinced him too care just a little. Red's only twelve, and the kid is ten, and scared. If Red could speak, he would tell him, tell Lucas about how he and Charmander had bonded slowly. He couldn't talk though, so he didn't. Instead he and Squirtle, with help of Lucas rounded up the loose Ivysaur, and then went after Charizard.

The fire Pokémon wasn't happy. He wasn't ready to go back to Red, until Red proved he was ready too fight.

It was the first time fighting against his friend. Red was stunned at just how _hard_ it was. How painful. It made him not want too do this ever again. It was different then fighting against Green.

But Charizard at last allowed himself to be defeated, satisfied that all was right in the world once again.

Red decided this new world was _far_ more fascinating and interesting then his old. Afterall, here there was no time to think about Green, or Blue. Or about how worried his mother must be getting after so long without contact. It didn't matter when every day was a new battle with new outcomes. Sometimes Red won, sometimes he lost. Sometimes he pulled a draw, something he had never considered before.

This new world was fascinating.

This new world was filled with all sorts of things that Red had never encountered before.

This world had new creatures that weren't pokemon, new faces that became almost-friends.

It was still a nightmare.

There was still guilt eating at Red.

There was still sorrow over a failed battle.

There was still anger at Green never accepting his challenge.

There were a lot of loose, unfinished business waiting for Red back in his world.

That was why when Lucas claimed that he was wasn't brave, when someone complimented him on never flinching, when the nights seemed empty and colder then on Mount Silver, Red frowned a tired, bitter frown.

Everyone here in Smash Village had faced their nightmares and won.

Red was still living his.

* * *

_a/n: I had fun writing this as a bit of a hope to get back into the swing of writing. If you enjoyed, please leave a review!_


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